This invention relates generally to the art of night vision systems, or systems for enhancing vision at night, and more particularly to auxiliary equipment for contributing to the versatility of such systems.
Night vision goggles, that is goggles that receive ambient light and multiply it up to 75,000 times, have dramatically extended aircraft operator capabilities. Pilots can now carry out search and rescue operations as well as other missions under moonlight or starlight conditions. The use of such night vision systems has become relatively common place among aviation circles, and particularly among military pilots.
Most prior art aviator night vision systems have included night vision goggle assemblies having eye pieces attached to helmets through which pilots look. Some such systems allow aviators to move the goggle assemblies between operational positions in which the eye pieces are in front of their eyes, and nonoperable positions in which the eye pieces are folded away from their eyes. Some such systems utilize goggle-assembly receptacles which are rigidly mounted to the helmets and goggle assembly plugs which are rigidly mounted to the goggle assemblies. Pilots can selectively engage the plugs in the helmet-mounted receptacles to mount the goggle assemblies on their helmets and disengage the plugs from the helmet-mounted receptacles to remove the goggle assemblies completely from their helmets. In one such system, the goggle assembly plug is also movable within the helmet-mounted goggle assembly receptacle to rotate the goggle assembly between operative and inoperative positions. In most such systems, the goggle assembly eye pieces are powered by energy received from batteries in a battery pack mounted on the helmet via electrical contacts in the helmet-mounted receptacle and the plug. When the goggle assembly is in the operative position, the receptacle contacts engage the plug contacts to provide energy to the goggle assembly eye pieces, but when the goggle assembly is rotated to the in- operative position, continuity between these contacts is broken.
A shortcoming that exists with such a prior-art night vision system is that when the plug of the goggle assembly is removed from the helmet-mounted receptacle, the goggle assembly can no longer be used because it is no longer energized by batteries in the battery pack. This disadvantage limits the usefulness of such a goggle assembly because there are many situations in which an aviator might wish to remove his helmet but yet continue to use the goggle assembly. For example, should the aviator experience a crash landing, he may wish to remove the helmet while escaping from behind enemy lines, but yet he may wish to continue to use his goggle assembly for enhancing his night vision. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved aviator's night vision system with which a goggle assembly can be conveniently used when it is dismounted from a helmet-mounted receptacle.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such an improved night-vision system with structure that is uncomplicated and relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture.